Traveling-case.



o. 739,627. 7 PATENTED SEPT. 22, 190s.

. P. H.. WHITE. 7

TRAVELING CASE. AIPLIUATIOH FILED FEB. 3. 1903.

F0 MODEL.

WITNESSES WM. m2 i m n15 unnms vzrzws no, moYo-u'mo" wusmum'on. ma

IPatented September 22, 1908.

P TENT Gr mes.

FRANK H. 'VVHITE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

% TRAVELING-CASE.

' SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No.-'739,627, datedSeptember 22, 1903.

Application filed February s, 1903. seen m. 141,700. (No man i T0 atwhom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HWVHITE, a citizen 0f the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and usef ul Improvement inTraveling-Cases, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescrip tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of traveling-cases known asdress-suit cases, and has for its object. to provide a suitablecompartment for containing shirts, shirt-waists, cuifs, and, if desired,collars. Much difficulty is experienced by travelers in keeping shirtsor shirt-waists separate from the other contents of the case and inpreventing them from soiling by coming into contact therewith. It isalso troublesome to remove and replace them whenever access to the caseis desired. Sometimes they are strapped in, but they are liable to slipout unless they occupy practically the entire superficial area of thecase, and the straps must be unfastened when it is desired to remove ashirt and again fastened.

By my invention I provide means whereby the shirts maybe quickly packedor unpacked whether the case is otherwise empty or filled, whereby theyare kept separate from the other contents and prevented from soiling and7 whereby a space within the case that would otherwise be wasted isutilized for the shirts and the entire body of the case reserved for theother contents.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a dress-suit casewithmy invention applied. Fig. 2 is a view of blank in an extendedposition. Fig. 3 is a partial section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 1.

A represents the body of the case and B the lid, having the usualdownturned flanges b.

C is a flat thin plate of an area equal to the inner dimensions of thelid andniay be made of pasteboard or similar material.

1) is a fabric lining of an area equal to the area of the plate O andsecured thereto along its edges. A thin layer of padding is 'confinedbetween the plate and its lining.

E is a blank of satin, silk, or other material and may be formedinitially of the shape illustrated in Fig. 2. As so shaped, the one"other contents of the case.

' side of the blank is straight and the other side has two-short shallowconcavities and two relatively long and deep concavities. This blank isbent in the direction of the plane of its extension, so that the longfiat edge 6 thereof lieson the outside and the indentedor irregular edgee, on the inside and the short edges 5 e secured together except for ashort distanceadjacent to the edge 'e.

The blank is also bent slightly along the edge I eto form a hem a whichis stitched to the body. of the blank. An elastic band F is insertedbetween the body of the blank and the hem and passed entirely around thesame, being confined in place by the stitching. The ends of the elasticare then secured together,

forming, in effect, an elastic band. The blank is now laid down fiatupon the lined plate 0 Dand the overlapping edges bent under the plateand secured thereto'by glue or otherwise. The plate 0 D is now insertedinto the lid and secured therein in any suitable manner. By reason ofthe Width of the blank being less than the distance from the center tothe outer edge of the lid the central portion inclosed by the band Fwill not close up, but will remain open and form a small centralorifice. lVhen the blank is bent, as described, the two short shallowconcavities are brought opposite each other, and the two long deepconcavities are brought opposite 1 each other, thus causing the orificeto be elongated into an approximately oval shape, as shown. Thus isformed in the lid of the box a compartment having a fabric lining insmall; but as the original length of the inner edge e is as great as theoriginal length of the outer edge e and the fabric around the orificeconsequently very much gathered or puckered the orifice can readily bedistended by hand to the extent necessary to permit the insertion of ashirt, while under the action of the elastic it immediately contracts toits normal size when the hand is withdrawn. Thus shirts may be keptentirely separate from the They can be insorted or removed withoutdisturbing the other contents. They will not soil, as they too z y A areeffectually protected by the elastic cover, and the space within thelid, which would otherwise be unoccupied or only partially occupied, isutilized. Collars and cuffs may also be inserted Within the compartment,if desired.

Straps G G may be secured to opposite sides of the lid and extendcrosswise of the compartment and be fastened together by means ofsuitable fastening members 9 g.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire toprotect by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dress-suit case, an annular cover secured to the lid and formedof a long narrow blank having one edge indented or irregular and bent inthe direction of the plane of its extension with the indented orirregular edge on the inside and the abutting-ends secured together,combined with an elastic band engaging the cover contiguous to itsindented inner edge and of a normal length substantially less than thelength of said inner edge, substantially as described.

2. In a dress-suit case, an annular cover secured to the end and formedof a long narrow blank bent in the direction of the plane of itsextension and having its abutting ends secured together whereby theinner edge of the cover is gathered or puckered, combined with anelastic band engaging the portion of the cover contiguous to the orificeit incloses and of a normal length substantially less than the length ofthe inner edge of the cover whereby said orifice is normally contracted.

3. In a dress-suit case, the combination,

with the lid, of an annular cover having its outer edge secured theretoand its inner edge formed with two opposite short shallow concavitiesand two opposite relatively long deep concavities, the inner edge of thecover being flexible, whereby there is formed a normally small elongatedorifice capable of being expandedto permit of the insertion or removalof ashirt, substantially as described.

4:. In a dress-suit case, the combination, with the lid, of a platesecured to the bottom of the lid, an annular cover overlapping saidplate and secured to its edges, the outer edge of the cover beingsubstantially equal in length to the inner edge, thereby causing theinner portion of the cover adjacent to the central orifice to gather orpucker, substantially as described.

5. In a dress-suit case, the combination, with the lid, of a platesecured to the bottom of the lid, an annular cover overlapping saidplate and secured to its edges, the outer edge of thecoverbeingsubstantially equal in length to the inner edge, therebycausing the inner portion of the cover adjacent to the central orificeto gather or pucker, and an elastic band engaging said cover near itsinner edge and normally contracting said orifice, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand, atPhiladelphia, on this 29th day of January, 1903.

FRANK II. WHITE.

Vitnesses:

M. M. HAMILTON, M. F. ELLIs.

